Olympus PEN E-PM2 versus rival model with similar score

Further readings for the Olympus PEN E-PM2

To provide photographers with a broader perspective about mobiles, lenses and cameras, here are links to articles, reviews, and analyses of photographic equipment produced by DxOMark, renown websites, magazines or blogs.

After the announcement of the flagship Nikon 1 V3 the company revealed a new less expensive model sharing many of the features, including the 18-Mpix CX format (1-inch type) sensor with an improved hybrid AF system including 105 on-chip phase-detection points covering most of the frame, and new Expeed 4 level processor. Read on to find out how well this new model performs.

Hot on the heels of the Nikon 1 V3 launched last month, Nikon have just unveiled a new model in their consumer orientated J range of mirrorless hybrid cameras. With many features from the V3 filtering down to the new Nikon 1 J4, is it a serious contender for the point-and-shoot market?

Canon was the last maker to introduce a mirrorless camera to the market and after something of a false start with EOS M, the company has released an update with the same Hybrid CMOS II sensor as the company’s Rebel SL1 (100D). Read on to find out how the new, Asia only, EOS M2 performs.

After the initial euphoria of the Nikon 1 V1 it’s probably true to say subsequent models failed to capture the imagination in quite the same way. Now with the introduction of the waterproof AW1 Nikon has cleverly won back interest in the system. Read on to find out how this super-compact and submersible model performs.

With a traditional looking design, the latest addition to Panasonic’s Lumix CSC range the GM1 is, arguably, the firm’s slickest camera yet. It has the same 16-Mpix-resolution sensor as the larger, rangefinder-style GX7, and although housed in a tiny aluminum shell it features a 3-inch touchscreen LCD, plenty of manual control and an electronic shutter capable of 1/16000th max shutter speed and 40fps burst. Read on to find out how this super-compact model performs.

Sony’s update to the Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 includes provision for a optional EVF and a useful pull-out rear LCD, but the head line news is the inclusion of a newly developed back-illuminated Exmor R BSI-CMOS sensor with superior low-light performance. Read on to see how well the new sensor performs in our labs.

Hybrid is a word used both positively and negatively, quite appropriate for the photographic industry. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 wears this badge: "Hybrid", a mix of system and compact. It has a range of lenses spanning 7mm to 300mm (equivalent to 14mm up to 600mm in full frame 35mm) and a body that is not much bigger than a compact camera. Should it wear it with pride? Yes, it should…

Announced in September 2012, the Pentax Q10 is the second in the Pentax Q series and lays claim to being the smallest hybrid camera currently available, offering interchangeable lenses in a package barely larger than an advanced compact camera. However, is smaller really better, and how have Pentax progressed since the Pentax Q?

Canon was the last major maker to embrace the hybrid or ‘mirrorless’ camera market. As a somewhat sober debut, designed for those who are new to photography, the EOS M adopts an 18-megapixel APS-C format in a compact body but boasts a number of advanced features including a 31-point hybrid AF system for stills and video and a touch sensitive 3-inch LCD. While it’s clear this camera doesn’t compete directly with the firm’s DSLRs, how does it stack up against the competition that don’t have the same volume of DSLR sales to protect?

Introduced in mid September, the Olympus PEN E-PM2 is the second generation of Olympus’ entry-level Micro Four Thirds hybrid camera. It sports a newly updated design with a useful, fixed grip and a touch-screen interface among other updates, but the big news is that it has inherited the sensor of the much-admired Olympus OM-D E-M5, the current top-of-the-line Micro Four Thirds camera.

Announced at IFA 2012, Sony’s NEX-5R is the third version of its very popular NEX-5 camera. This new model features a 16-megapixel APS-C EXMOR sensor composed of photosites that provide autofocusing by phase detection. Has Sony improved the image quality of its latest mid-range compact hybrid? Our tests reveal the answer.